Social origins of press cynicism in portraying politics

Scholars and journalists both confirm that the U.S. news media have grown increasingly cynical in portraying politics over the past generation. There is an antipolitics bias as well as a corporate tilt toward infotainment. But why? This article argues that journalists' apparent cynicism stems from the same factors that have made news increasing plentiful, credible, and analytical. These factors include journalists' declining deference to authority, greater professionalism, growing emphasis on thematic coherence, and greater insistence on providing coherent and comprehensive news.